Memories
by TARDISdoctor
Summary: A mistake in potions reveals the real Draco. What's Hermione's reaction? Just a quick story I wrote :) hope you like it


It's not like they _meant_ to blow up the potions classroom, it just sort of…happened.

"YOU FOUL LOATHSOME EVIL LITTLE COCKROACH"

"INSUFFERABLE KNOW-IT-ALL"

"ARROGANT TOERAG"

Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger ended up with their faces inches from the other, one calm and collected but with blazing grey eyes, one wild and frazzled, her hair a bird's nest with a life of it's own.

Even Snape seemed apprehensive about interrupting the arguing pair - it was their worst argument yet; over who put the wrong ingredient in, a typical Malfoy/Granger argument - making a mountain of a speck of dust.

"you were supposed to stir the potion to the _left _not the _right_" Hermione screeched, Draco growled, "I _did, you_ were the one who didn't put the Ashwinder eggs in 3 minutes after the horned slugs" Hermione opened her mouth to retort, but Blaise shouted a warning, "YOU IDIOTS, LOOK AT YOUR POTION!" but it was too late, the potion turned a gold colour and fizzed, without warning, the mysterious potion exploded. When the smoke cleared, the entire class was gone.

"Where are we?" Harry groaned, rubbing his head. Ron was beside him, still unconscious with his mouth wide open and saliva dripping from his mouth. Snape turned to Draco and Hermione, "What was the exact recipe you used, get anything wrong and you will sorely regret it" he growled.

Hermione frowned, "well, first we heated the cauldron to 100 degrees, then added the Moonstone, when it turned green, I put three peacock feathers in and after two minutes stirred the potion five times to the right, then five to the left"

"Then I added 5 nettles to the cauldron"

"And 500ml of rat spleen"

"And a pinch of salt"

"then when it turned purple, reduce the heat to 30 degrees"

"then 8 horned slugs"

"three minutes later 3 Ashwinder eggs"

"then 4 stirs to the left"

Snape snapped his fingers, "4 stirs to the left?" he murmured, "4 STIRS TO THE LEFT? ARE YOU BOTH IMBECILES? THE BOOK CLEARLY STATED 2 STIRS TO THE LEFT THEN TWO THE THE RIGHT! CLEARLY, SIX YEARS OF EDUCATION HAS BEEN LOST ON YOU!" Hermione looked close to tears, but the Slytherin prince scowled.

Blaise groaned, "What's the potion then?"

"A memory potion, we will be entering the mind of the most tortured person in the room and will relive his or her most tragic memories"

The darkness around them shifted, revealing a majestic hall, imposing and sinister, and the feeling of dark magic. Hermione felt Draco stiffen beside her, "No" she heard him whisper. The group watched as a seven year old Draco ran through the hall.

_"mother! Look! Look at what I can do!" the blond haired boy yelled, running into the arms of a beautiful blond haired woman, frowning he yelled "LUMOS" and his mother's wand lit up. "Oh Draco, how wonderful" she exclaimed, cradling her son in her arms. _

_"WHAT IS THAT INFERNAL NOISE?" Lucius Malfoy stormed into the room, "I thought I told you, NO MAGIC AND NO RAISED VOICES IN THE MANOR, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME DRACO?" he barked. The young boy shrank away from his father, "y-yes father" he whispered, Lucius glared at the boy, "You need to be taught a lesson" he growled. Without warning, the deatheater pulled out his wand and hissed "Crucio". The tortured screams of the seven year old filled the manor. "Lucius, darling, stop" Narcissa Malfoy screamed, her face was streaked in tears, "He's your son!" she yelled, "Your SON". Lucius paid no attention to his wife, instead focusing on the screams of his son. _

_It was many minutes before he stopped, "Have you learnt your lesson?" he hissed, his son whimpered, tears staining his cheeks and his body limp, "HAVE YOU LEARNT YOUR LESSON?" he repeated, yelling this time. Draco burst into fresh tears, "Y-yes father" he sobbed. _

The class stared at the stone-faced Slytherin, the master of masks. He hid his emotions well, but Hermione felt how stiff he was. "Bloody Hell" Ron muttered, blue eyes wide. It was seconds before another memory forced it's way to the surface.

_"Draco" Lucius drawled, "you have embarrassed me greatly today, how dare you question me in front of the Parkinsons, how dare you ask questions". A ten year old Draco stared at his father. But the man was wild, in a fit of rage, he surged forward, grabbing his son by his hair and smashing his head into the wall, "HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME LOOK LIKE A FOOL". Lucius smacked his son across the face, "HOW DARE YOU QUESTION ME" he smacked him again. Draco made no move to fight back, his arms only coming up to protect himself. "HOW DARE YOU TALK BACK AT ME" at this, Lucius grabbed his sons blond hair a second time, this time smashing his son's head into a mirror. Blood covered the floor, blood stained Draco's hair, shards of glass were strewn over the floor, blood coating some of them. But Draco didn't cry, or shout, or beg or fight back. He lay there passively, his eyes distant, absent of all emotion. _

Once again, the class stared at Draco. Blaise gulped, "Mate, you never told me any of this". Draco turned to his friend, his grey eyes distant, much like the expression of his younger self, "there was nothing to tell" he said before another memory appeared.

_"Father, I don't understand, why do we have to treat them like this? They're equal to us, I mean look at that Granger girl, she's the smartest witch of the age and you say she's less magical than purebloods?" A eleven year old Draco argued. Lucius growled, "You disgust me" and pressed his wand against his sons neck, "I would rather kill you now than raise a child who thinks mudbloods are equal" he leaned in and whispered into Draco's ear, "I will kill every person who cares about you if you show any kindness to the mudblood, the boy-who-won't-die, and that Weasel friend of his, do you understand me? Your mother, your friends, your aunt Andromeda has already been disowned for her association with that muggle filth I could kill her in a blink of an eye, and your cousin Sirius, he's in Azkaban but I can still have him killed, and don't forget your cousin Nymphadora, was it? Yes, I can have her killed easily. Then, I will kill you, nice and slowly, first making you watch them die then I'll torture you and kill you the slowest way possible". Draco clenched his jaw, "Yes, father". _

Hermione subconsciously laid a hand on Draco's arm, both not noticing the gesture. Harry stared at the Slytherin, "Wow," was all he could choke out. Draco stared ahead, ignoring everything but the monster he called a father.

_"Draco" Lucius growled, "the Dark Lord has sent for you". Draco hesitantly stood up and followed his father out of the library and into the dining room, where Lord Voldemort held his meetings. "Ah, Draco" he hissed, "Let us hope you are more accomplished than your father" Draco was shaking slightly, his eyes downcast. Voldemort raised his hand and Draco found his face being forced upwards. until his eyes were in contact with the snake-like eyes of the Dark Lord. "Take the Dark Mark, Draco, and your mother will survive, take the Dark Mark and your family will be safe, take the Dark Mark and you'll never have to worry about your mother's safety again" he hissed. As if on cue, a pair of death eaters, Dolohov and Goyle,dragged in the bloodied body of Narcissa Malfoy. Draco's eyes flashed, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?" he yelled, raising his wand at Lord Voldemort, the snake laughed, "If you take the Dark Mark it will never happen again," he hissed. Draco stared at his mother, who was silently pleading with her son to refuse, to get away. Draco's eyes hardened, "If I take the Dark Mark, she get's to live, no-one will harm her, she will be taken care of?" he asked. Narcissa shook her head, tears overflowing from her eyes. Voldemort smiled, "Yes, Draco, of course". Draco took a deep breath, "Then I accept, I will take the Dark Mark". Voldemort smiled wider, then grabbed Draco's left wrist and pressed his wand to Draco's wrist. It looked as though the mark was being burnt into Draco's skin, but he didn't flinch. When the mark was branded onto Draco, Voldemort turned to Dolohov and Goyle, "Kill the woman". Draco yelled, "NO" and launched forwards, aiming to protect his mother from the attacks. But he was too late, Dolohov hissed "Avada Kedavra" and in a flash of green light, Narcissa Malfoy fell to the floor. Dead. _

This time, the next memory emerged almost immediately after the last one finished.

_"HOW COULD YOU, YOU BASTARD" Draco yelled, his wand raised against his father, Lucius had a spark of fear in his eyes, but his wand was raised nonetheless. "You should be thanking me, you ungrateful brat, I gave you a roof above your head, food on your plate, I paid for your education, yet you defy me and DUEL me? " Lucius snarled. Draco growled, "you allowed my mother to die, you abused me for my whole childhood for being curious or even achieving something, and you call yourself a father? Tonks is dead, you killed her. Sirius is dead, you let Bellatrix kill him, mother is dead, you let Voldemort kill her, hell, even Dobby's gone. Name one person who actually loves me in the world right now". Lucius opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Exactly" Draco snarled, then yelled "SECTUMSEMPRA" as his father yelled "ADAVA KEDAVRA". _

_Draco won. He stood over the dead body of his father, then knelt and closed the man's eyes. He escaped the Great Hall just before Voldemort and Harry duelled in the area. When the students sorted into the Hall they fell silent at the sight of the dead body before them._

The class found themselves in their classroom again. "Well, that was different" Blaise choked. Snape was staring at his godson. "Class dismissed" he said. The class gave Draco way as he raced out the room. Harry shook his head, "Blimey, I never thought I'd feel sorry or even _thankful_towards Malfoy". Hermione nodded, "He did it all to protect the people he loved, wouldn't you do the same?

Hermione found Draco at back of the library. He was staring out the window, his eyes distant and his body stiff. Hesitantly, she put a hand on his shoulder. He turned. Hermione smiled, "I know we have no reason to get along, but now that I know that you did it all to protect those you love, I am happy to put the past in the past and maybe focus on the future" she held out her hand, "Friends?" she asked. Draco smiled, "Friends" he confirmed. Hermione grinned, her whole face lighting up. "It'll be fun having an intellectual equal to debate with" she smiled, before kissing him on the cheek and turning to go. "Oh, and Draco?" she added, "If you ever need someone to talk to…talk to me".


End file.
